that he asked Jabir bin `Abdullah about performing ablution after taking a cooked meal. He replied, "Itis not essential," and added, "We never used to get such kind of food during the lifetime of theProphet except rarely; and if at all we got such a dish, we did not have any handkerchiefs to wipe ourhands with except the palms of our hands, our forearms and our feet. We would perform the prayerthereafter with-out performing new ablution."